Flaubert’s Parrot – Julian Barnes

I remember the hype about this in the UK after it was published (1984) but I had never got round to reading it, largely 'cos I wanted to read Madame Bovary first, which I eventually managed last year. Sadly, it was a bit of a let-down. It seems rather slight and neither as smart or as funny as I'd hoped, barring one or two good gags. If you're interested in Barnes, I'd suggest "A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters" as the better bet.